Ok i read that i can enable telnet via add/remove software in the linux box but #1 i was reading a FedoraCore book and im running Debian so that might be the problem. The reason i did this was my Debian book tells me how to connect with Debian to a telnet session but not set one up and i forgot what #2 was lol so anywho you see where im coming from.

The main reason im trying to do this is i want to Telnet from a windows box to my Windows box. I can get to my windows box from linux via network connections or whatever it is called but not vice versa. Now i heard Samba will allow me to connect to Windows boxes and vice versa is this true? Well im more focused on the vice versa

Are you interested in connecting via Samba (file sharing, etc) or just telneting (command line stuff)?

You probably can install the telnet client and not the server. You don't want to run the telnet server on any computer, Linux or Windows. Telnet can be handy because it can be used to connect to any port, which might tell you if there is a firewall problem or something else. For example,
This tells me that the ssh port is open and the version. ( Maybe I should fix that )

To run commands remotely from windows to Linux, use ssh instead of telnet. In windows you can install the putty program.
I would recommend installing cygwin/X instead and using the same ssh client on Windows that you would in Linux. That will give you a free Xorg server on windows which would allow you to run graphical Linux programs remotely on a windows machine.

It would also give you access to a bash shell in windows as well.

For sharing files between Windows and Linux, install and configure Samba on Linux.

Ok so i understand the difference between SSH and Telnet thank you for the concern though. SSH is more secure, but im going through this Linux book and it states that before i learn about setting up SSH i should learn about Telnet. Now i know i know i should just forget that and just run sSH but here at work we run telnet and i figured that would be a good thing to learn.

So i have Debian installed at home and would like to setup Telnet server not client cause my client will be such like Cygwin or something to that nature on a windows box to connect to the Telnet server running on Debian box


As for the answer to the first response i received i would like to experience a Samba ENV and a simple Telnet ENV but i guess i should start off where i have about a 2% knowledge base that would be Telnet + that is the method we use at work and im suppose to get familiar with it.



Everyones responses had something valuable in it and i noticed i should had spoken with more detail at first, that was wrong n my part.

You should only have to install a telnet-server package. Telnet uses port 23, so you will need to open that port.
Then look in /etc/xinetd.conf or /etc/xinet.d/telnet. I'll bet installing the telnet server will create an /etc/xinet.d/telnet file. Edit the "disable = yes" -> "disable = no". Look for a line like "only from". Edit it so that it contains the local host address and your Windows XP's IP address. Telnet's username & password are passed in the clear, but it you use a switch instead of a hub, it will be harder for someone to sniff the address on the LAN. If you are the only user, then that isn't something you have to worry as much about, unless your XP machine is hacked.

You might want to only enable the telnet server before using it, and disabling it when you are done.

Good Luck!

how do you control ports through the OS i mean i can edit them through the router but how do you edit the ports through the OS

Configure the firewall to open ports where you are offering a server. Most distro's have a GUI wizard to do that. Since both computers are inside the LAN, leave the router's ports closed. Also, make sure you don't use dynamic PNP on the router. Disable WAN configuration on the router. If you use wireless, use WPA and not WEP. Also disable wireless configuration.

If you are going to play around with Telnet, you want to make sure someone from the internet doesn't have access a port on any of the computers on the LAN.